I Wonder (Departure)

 

I Wonder (Departure)

 

You won-der, it’s fright-ning,

leav-ing now, is that the right-thing?

Because there’s this bus to Saudi -

that’s just pulled up

and your twenty-somethings

are dragging trolleys, getting on,

too frail to huck heavy suitcases,

heft travel bags onto overhead racks,

with a coffee in the left hand

but there’s always someone else to do it,

indulged for all existence

and when showering shrapnel falls,

it’s an easier life that calls.

Never alone with bloody phones,

don’t think, don’t blink,

please, please don’t come home,

but they’ll click

those ruby heels three times,

chant minimal mantras,

a piece of piss to learn –

like eat, sleep, repeat.

I won-der, it’s con-cer-ning,

what you teach

and what they’re learn-ing?

Order food, use gyms, get pissed,

your curriculum vitae must be endless,

mirror in the bathroom, can’t you see,

a real treat, an easy read,

God only knows

what you passed for degrees.

When given time to succeed,

put some effort in and exceed,

we find you playing padel

in the basement,

picnics in the carpark,

sitting on the pavement:

this your contribution to our profession.

I have a confession –

leav-ing now, is that the-right-thing?

Fuck, yes. Who-in-the-hell are they?

They-don’t-even-try, let them fly,

go – kiss your Blarney Stone -

better – take a selfie with your phone,

Instagram it, Facebook it, WhatsApp it,

I couldn’t really really give a shit.

You’re noth-ing spec-ial,

in fact, you’re-a-bit-of-a-bore,

let me show you to the exit door,

and don’t forget to pack

your tacky bra tops and cheap basques.

Now, the only question left to ask

is who’s the bigger fool -

quitters skinny dipping

in their skin-deep gene pools

or those who thought

they’d ever work at schools?